528hemi
222 posts
Sep 17, 2011
6:40 PM
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Does anyone blow bend the 7 for inflection? I can bend it shy of a half step which is close to the 7 draw. Just curious if anyone uses it at all?
528hemi
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Roverharp
18 posts
Sep 17, 2011
6:55 PM
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For sure. The taboos about bending Blow 7 and Draw 5 are because you can more easily blow out reeds trying to get the bend to that half step and beyond. If you're aware of this however you'll feel when you're getting close to the floor of the bend and avoid putting too much stress on the reed.
Last Edited by on Sep 17, 2011 6:57 PM
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Todd Parrott
700 posts
Sep 17, 2011
6:57 PM
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If you tune the 7 draw down a half step, you can then bend the 7 blow a half step. Works great in 12th position, as well as others, like 1st and 4th.
Last Edited by on Sep 17, 2011 6:58 PM
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528hemi
224 posts
Sep 17, 2011
7:29 PM
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Thanks for the responses...
528hemi
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arzajac
658 posts
Sep 18, 2011
4:28 AM
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Three things:
To go slightly off-topic, PowerBender tuning eliminates this problem. Not only can you bend every hole, but they are draw bends which can be powerfully expressive.
Another solution is half-valving which I haven't tried, but you do get a half-step bend on every hole.
If you want to try Todd's method without any risk whatsoever, you can use BLueTak. You stick a small amount on the tip of the reed you want to drop in pitch and check the tuning. Add or remove small amounts to get the tuning exactly where you want it.
BlueTak is safe and effective. It stays there and doesn't seem to have any negative effects such as collecting dust or making the reed hard to play. Apparently, it can stay there for decades.
If you don't like the altered tuning, scrape the BlueTak off and go your way.
I retuned a number of harps to PowerBender using BluTak
and swapping the uppermost reeds. It's a fairly extensive retuning that I wouldn't have been able to do without BlueTak.
I never had the guts to try Todd's alteration before BluTak, either...
Just throwing out (up) ideas...
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Last Edited by on Sep 18, 2011 4:28 AM
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hvyj
1777 posts
Sep 18, 2011
7:45 AM
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In second position, 7 blow is the 4th of the scale. Bending it down a half step would give you a MAJOR 3rd.
Bending 7 blow somewhere between a half step and a quartertone gives you a note in between the 4th and the major 3rd since the 4th and the major 3rd are only a half step apart. Not a very "bluesy" note and not a pitch that makes sense musically, IMHO.
Now, if you retune the 7 DRAW down a half step from a major 3rd to a minor third (in second position) as Todd suggests, then you would be able to bend blow 7 to get a true major 3rd which would make both the major and minor 3rd available in the 7 hole.
As for bending draw 5 a quarter tone, I think that actually sounds pretty good for playing blues in second position, and it makes musical sense. That bend gives you a "harmonic seventh" or "blues seventh" which is a little flatter than a true minor seventh and is very idiomatically appropriate for blues.
Last Edited by on Sep 18, 2011 9:10 AM
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harpdude61
1049 posts
Sep 18, 2011
9:38 AM
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What hvyj said...I've never found use for 7 blow bend...even in first.
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harpwrench
526 posts
Sep 18, 2011
10:27 AM
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Half valving would get you a 7 draw bend but not a 7 blow bend.
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MP
1831 posts
Sep 18, 2011
11:25 AM
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personally, i like the 7 blow bend. it's one of those notes that are totally cool if you know what to do with it. as always, there are correct notes and appropriate notes- strive for appropriate.
james cotton used it to great effect. check out recordings from his buddha records years
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MP
doctor of semiotics and reed replacement.
"making the world a better place, one harmonica at a time"
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